In the relatively brief history of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and percutaneous procedures, the clinician has always been at a relative disadvantage with regard to anatomical visibility and real-time tactile feedback. As a result, such MIS procedures typically require one or more extra incisions to accommodate a camera or endoscope to facilitate the success of the procedure. The additional incisions and apparatus deployed into a patient can cause unwarranted issues that ideally would be minimized if possible and do not provide for touch feedback. Procedures done with MIS or via percutaneous approaches do not enable the operator to tactually appreciate relevant physiological information upon instrument contact with biological tissues and blood. Furthermore, there is no available means for controlling the methods for data acquisition, data processing or the modes for presenting such data to the user via a haptic interface. Accordingly, the ability to convey information and control a user's interactive experience through a haptic interface while operating surgical instruments and diagnostic devices through a common control and user interface arrangement is desirable.
One approach to a common control user interface for MIS surgical instruments utilizes some form of haptic or tactile feedback technology. Currently available haptic technologies include, for example, programmable haptic keyboards, augmented mice, trackballs, joysticks, multi-dimensional point and probe-based interactions, exoskeletons, vibro-tactor arrays, gloves, and isometric devices.
Simplified tactile haptic interface devices have long been used in game controllers. In the context of the medical field, haptic technology has been used principally to simulate medical procedures in the virtual world, for example, for teaching purposes.
In some cases, medical companies have implemented haptic feedback systems that provide notification signals and vibrotactile sensations as an alert when too much force is applied or to direct a user controlling robotic and tele-surgical operative systems. However, these systems do not provide the operator with tangible sensations that are physiologically relevant, nor do they provide a corresponding visual user interface that conveys such tactile information while providing a means for the operator to control their interaction and experience with the haptic interface and inserted instrumentation.
Prior work of the present inventor, Dr. Stuart O. Schecter, in the area of haptics includes: U.S. Pat. No. 7,963,925, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Defining the Effect of Atrial Arrhythmias on Cardiac Performance And Directing Therapy Using a Plurality of Intrinsically and Extrinsically Derived Signals,” which discloses a catheter with a sensor and handle arrangement that provides real-time, proportional haptic feedback, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009-0030332 A1, entitled “Microfabricated Cardiac Sensor with Tactile Feedback and Method and Apparatus for Calibrating the Same Using a Plurality of Signals,” and U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010-0312129 A1, entitled “Cardiovascular Haptic Handle System.”
While these patents and applications provide new and novel systems and methods for minimally invasive, hand-held surgical interfaces with haptic feedback, it would be desirable to provide improvements that can allow a user to monitor and control his or her own interactive experience through haptic and graphical user interfaces during diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.